5 February 2010

If Ellen Degeneres is trying to achieve world domination through her show ELLEN she will have to push past Nutella on her way up. Ellen wants to be seen in every country around the world, but Nutella is a special treat that has already achieved world domination and is adored the world over!!!!It rocks the foodie world and dominates the blog world today. I am sure you aware that since 2007 Nutella has had it's own day!!!!! February 5th is World Nutella Day which is the brainchild of Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso (and Shelley from At Home in Rome, in spirit). They solemnly declare February 5th “World Nutella Day 2010″ which is a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella. Happy Nutella Day!!!!!!!!World domination is inevitable...resistance is futile!!

As we all know Nutella is that hazelnut spread that we longed for as children smeared onto warm bread fresh from the oven or inbetween crepes with strawberries or banana. As if a spoonful of this chocolate-hazelnut spread gianduja isn’t delicious enough straight off the spoon!!!! Think Nutella and Ferrero Rocher!!!! Nutella is the brand name of a hazelnut-based sweet spread created by the Italian company Ferrero in the 1940s. At the time, chocolate was very limited due to World War II. Nutella is now marketed in over 75 countries across the globe. Other countries even have their own versions of this spread so as you can see it is well on it's way to world domination.

I have wanted to prepare a Nutella Semifreddo for a while now. Semifreddo is Italian for "half cold", and can refer to many semi-frozen desserts. This semifreddo straddles several desserts classifications; its mousselike texture is similar to ice cream, but is lighter, airier, and less frozen. I always enjoy ice cream recipes that do not rely on an ice-cream maker, and this one does not. Until this past weekend I was "freezerless". The only freezer space I had was the tiny space above the refigerator which as you can imagine was jam packed with leftovers and vegetables frozen at the height of their season and peak of freshness. As time wore on the liner for my Donvier ice cream maker was pushed out and rendered useless at the back of the cupboard. But hurrah I now have a small freezer and the possibilities are endless!!!! You will be seeing many more frozen dishes here on MTBT.

My first foray will be semifreddo in honour of World Nutella Day. I have had a recipe waiting in the wings but came across this recipe from our friend Susan at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. I adjusted the recipe a little to suit my needs and what I already had available, but I hope that Susan would be proud. I didn't have any of the delicious chocolate liqueur she mentioned so used frangelico instead which I found goes very well with the Nutella. This dessert is rich, chocolaty and delicious which also makes it perfect for Valentine's Day coming up. Grab your honey and whip up something that will make his/her heart melt.

Line a mold of your choice with plastic wrap, taking care to leave about a 3 inch length hanging over the edge.

Heat Nutella in the microwave for about 20-25 seconds to soften it up. Set aside.

Place eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk until the eggs are warm, about 2 minutes.

Place the bowl in mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until pale and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes.

(At this point whip the whipped cream to the soft peak stage)

Add the Nutella and the chocolate liqueur to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until blended.

Gently fold in the whipped cream, shaved chocolate and 1/2 cup chopped nuts.
Scrape mixture into the mold and spread evenly. Top with more shaved chocolate. Cover top of mold with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Oh Val, your Semifreddo is to die for. World Nutella day - how clever of them with such a promotion.

When we were in France, you wouldn't have believed how much space in their aisle was devoted to Nutella. Jars and jars of every conceivable size. The French must love their Nutella. Come to think of it, it would be good on a fresh slice of a French baguette.Sam

I'm always proud of you, Val! You do an amazing job here on MTBT! I'm so flattered that you liked this recipe enough to try it. It looks dreamy! Happy World Nutella Day! (I'm waiting for the sun to come out so that I can photograph my offering.) :)

Oh man! I missed it again! But that's okay because I've been trying to stay away from sweets (for the time being) In the meantime I can enjoy delicious pictures and recipes like yours. It's a real treat!

Hi! Your semifreddo recipe was nominated as one of the "Best 300 Semifreddo Recipes on the Net". To vote for it, please visit http://easyitalianrecipes.org/dessert-recipes/best-300-italian-semifreddo-recipes-on-the-net-vote-for-your-favorite/ - your recipe is positioned at #49 (random order).

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.